Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1887-06-23

S'"''N 'hc youth OF our country, the
Importance of preserving the coun.
try; the services rendered, tho rca.
sons why they were rendered and
the cause in which rendered. as by
setting apart one day in each year
which should be sacred To the mem.
ory OF the cause, the service and the
dead.
The desire TO be remembered after
death for some good work per.
formed while living is akin TO the
longing for Immortality. No one
wants TO believe that death ends nil
that when the grave closes over
h'm, his name shall pass from earth
that neither friends, nor family
nor country will remember him.
In so Tar, and SO far only. as this
thought may stimulate TO action the
veteran of the war, he has an inter.
est IN the observance of this day not
common to other citizens.
But think you this is the moving
causci
DO not forget that when youth
and hope were his-whcn the
world was before him-hc volunta.
| i'ly lett home and loved ones and
perlllcd his life on an hundred bat.
tic fields, because he loved country
more than self
Think you that AZ this late day-
when he feels that comparatively
little of life is left him: when he
knows that the light behind the eve
is waning; that despite himself he
is marching in quick time To his
hnal muster out, and that Inc will
soon sleep in the bivouac Of the
dead-think you, that with all this
before him, he thinks only of sclfi
tell you no! The veteran OF the
Union army is the same unsclfish
American now that he was then.
Ills patriotism is still part Of his
religion. lie still loves his country
as he loves his God; thinks of both
at the same moment, and in the
same prayer returns his grateful
thanks for the flag and freedom of
the one, and the goodness and mcr.
cy of the other.
And with this faith i'm the gov.
ernment Of our country; with this
hope.that civil war may come again
no more forever; with this belief in
the good TO result from the obsery.
ancc of this day, his earnest hope
and prayer is that the country he
helped to save, and the custom he
helped to inauguratc will both be
pcrpetuated, and together 90 down
the ages "till time shall chase the
crumbling world out over the broad
quicksands Of eternity"
Whyi
Not because the stars and stripcs
went up, and the bonny blue hap
went. down; not because We were
the victors, they the vanquished; /;
but because we were right.
While IN the convulsions Of civil
war there was no time to stop and
think; no time for the calm, unprcj
udiced consideration OF the abstract
questions of sight and wrong in.
volvcd, nor would the discussion
Of these questions now be product.
i've of good, for we arc still too near
the war, and the judgments Of this
generation are formed. But the
thinker, the student. the philoso.
pher, the statesman and the histo.
rian Of the future will put this ques-
ton 20 every test; will examine IL
from every standpoint; will consid.
er the condition Of the country as il
was when we were called into the
field in or, and compare ii with the
united prosperous, happy country
that followed the peace we con.
quercd, and the verdict will be. that
the final triumph Of the Union arms
was demanded by every considera.
ton ofjustice, freedom and right.
and resulted in the greatest good TO
I the greatest number.
This thought leads me to the con.
sideraiion Of another question that
may, with propricty, be mentioned
on Memorial Day
] believe. that as 10 all matters Of
opinion, and particularly where the
! question IS one q religion Or Doll.
tics, men are the creatures Of cir.
cnmstances and are mole largely
fashioned and moulded by sur.
roundings, associations and educa.
ton than most Of as care 10 admit
The vanity of the average man Is
hattered by the pleasing hallucina.
ton thai be is an original thinker.
that he Is the architect ofhis partic-
ulaT creed; yet the truth is that in
most matters of opinion he IS Qov
erned By the influences over which
he has little or no control. aud the
wisest and best often unconsciously
drift into harmony with their en-
yironmcnis, regardless Of right or
wrong in theory OF practice
The surroundings and education
Of the people Of the two sections Of
our country, moulded alike the
opinions Of both North and South.
While it IS true that, IN the early
history Of The country The doctrine
that slavery was q divine institution
was taught aud believed in an the
7 Colonies, north and southland
while il Is true that, in the great
State of New York, all slaves were
not by law declared free until Iuly
I 4, IS27-yc; that doctrine was early